Rationale Essay Section: Professional Expectations

Student 1

Area of Study:  Business, Management and Economics
Concentration: Business Management

Professional Expectations
Since I am a middle manager in civil service, I thought it would be appropriate to explore the field of Management, when researching professional expectations. This is a very broad title, and it covers a wide range of managerial roles, in almost every sector of the economy.

Depending on the size of the organization, a mid-level manager can be involved in making operational and personnel decisions, and would likely develop plans and set deadlines. I researched professional expectations from several sources. I read the job descriptions of many similar jobs posted on Monster.com, I read the descriptions and requirements listed in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, and spoke to an associate of mine, who manages professional development programs for teachers in the NYC school system.

Many of the qualifications that I reviewed were common, even across disciplinary lines. The most frequently mentioned qualities were strong organizational skills, strong communication skills (both written and verbal), a strong working knowledge of common Microsoft office applications, and the ability to multi-task. The sources I used all looked for self-starters, who require little supervision or direction. Human relations skills are of some importance also, as middle managers must deal effectively with all echelons of an organization, top to bottom.

The field of occupations is vast, so specific technical knowledge will be helpful when I choose my actual career path. It is not out of the question that I may one day seek a bachelor’s degree. Positions at this level can be very competitive, but my experience puts me at an advantage over those just starting out. Business courses that I have taken earlier have given me keen insights and advantages, and helped me become successful. I hope to build on this, broadening my skills and knowledge, and solidifying my position with the credential of a degree.

I come to Empire State College with the majority of my core business courses completed, so I have chosen General Education courses so far that might be able to enhance some of the skills that are attractive professionally.  I will take some sort of communications course (either interpersonal or public speaking), as I know that I need to further develop ways in which I get communication across.  I may take a course that deals with motivation, as I will likely need to be able to motivate the employees whom I supervise.  And I know that I need to focus on research skills.  I will take an additional an additional information management course, to add some of the latest technology to my program, and meet ESC general guidelines for an associate’s degree in BME.

Student 2

Area of Study: Community and Human Services
Concentration: Human Services

Professional Expectations
In order to best understand professional expectations of human service related positions, I researched employment opportunities for local agencies. Included in my search was a case manager position for Project Hospitality and a Service Coordinator position for A Very Special Place. Each agency focuses on a general population and prefers experience working within it. Project Hospitality focuses on the homeless population. They require a BA/BS with experience with their focused population. A Very Special Place works with individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities. For their Service Coordinator position they require a bachelor’s degree and a year of general experience in the human service field.

Between the positions in each agency there are common expectations. The commonly occurring skills include case management, counseling, written and verbal skills, community resources and referrals, and familiarity with intake and assessment forms and models. There is also great emphasis on understanding collaborative work methods and various work models and philosophies. Some positions require special certification primarily in first aid and CPR. Also required is knowledge of specific populations within these focused populations. Project hospitality looks for individuals that have experience with the People with Aids population as well as the population of people with mental illness and chemical addiction. A Very Special Place, where I worked as a Job Coach, serves individuals with developmental disabilities but in working with these individuals there was exposure to many forms of disabilities and multiple diagnoses.

To further understand how to plan my degree in best representation of my long term goals, I interviewed a licensed social worker. I asked him which courses he felt would give me needed knowledge and background for social work. He stated the following: “You might want to take psychology courses, especially if the organization does some testing and expects you to understand some developmental theory.  And you might want to take some courses in community organizing and policy, since you’ll most likely be involved in both of these areas.” So I plan on including some courses in these areas in my degree in order to plan ahead professionally. Another question to my interviewee was regarding what he felt were key qualifications for a human services professional. His response was “A broad perceptual style means that we are listening for information and attempting to take the frame of reference we are hearing rather than foreclose using our personal values or beliefs as a frame of reference. Then we can start from the empathic point with the client and work to help them learn to broaden their limited frame to accept other concepts. So initially ridding ourselves of fixed ideas of how life on this planet ‘should be’ and then also helping the client to ‘jettison’ or alter their fixed view when it defeats their goals is a core condition of the person who can enter the helping professions.” In this interview I learned that Bachelors in Human Services will promote my ability to work in the field before pursuing a graduate degree. This will further give me the experience required to understand the context in which people present themselves, the ability to develop objectivity, active listening, and other counseling skills needed to fulfill higher level employment down the road.